Dean Riphagen started fly-fishing and fly-tying in 1979 and cut his fly-fishing teeth on the stillwaters and streams of the Underberg/Himeville area. While completing an undergraduate degree at the University of Cape Town from 1987 to 1989, he fished the streams and stillwaters of the Western Cape extensively, specifically the Witte River in Bainskloof, which became his favourite South African stream. Dean completed his accounts articles during the early 1990s in Johannesburg, and during this time started fly-fishing the Vaal River, which was pretty much in its infancy in those days. He then returned to KwaZulu-Natal where he continued to fish the streams and stillwaters of the province.

Dean has travelled extensively throughout the world, and has a wealth of fly-fishing knowledge, both fresh- and saltwater. He has travelled to New Zealand seven times, concentrating mainly on the crystal clear rivers and streams of the South Island, where the largest brown trout he has landed weighed 14 lbs. He has fished many of the hallowed waters of the western American states, including waters like the Henry's Fork of the Snake River in Idaho, the Madison, the Firehole, the Beaverhead and the Missouri, all in Montana. He has also fished the chalkstreams of Hampshire in southern England, the streams and lakes of Chile and Argentina, the flats of the Seychelles and the coast of Mozambique, including the reefs of St.Lazarus Banks.

His favourite water is a Southland stream in New Zealand which has provided him with much fly-fishing pleasure since his first trip in 1994. He was also privileged to guide Gary Borger on the Witte River in the Western Cape in 1989. Dean is author of two best-selling books on South African fly-fishing - The South African Fly-Fishing Handbook, released in 1998, and Stillwater Trout in South Africa, released in 2004. Dean's 30 years of fly-fishing experience contribute to Frontier Fly Fishing's combined 95 years of fly-fishing experience.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to mail Dean.

Down load Dean's V-Card